"I'm the God of Flowers." Yuan Jin repeated.
"DID LORD ZHANG YUE JUST SPEAK USELESS AND YOU CAME WITH US?"
Qin Su spoke, as he squatted on the ground.
He looked back at Song Cheng who stood with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Song Cheng, I can't believe you!" He pointed at Song Cheng and massaged his temples.
Yuan Jin stood as he didn't hear what Qin Su said, and if he had heard, he didn't care at all.
"I'm- I'm going to have a headache." Qin Su muttered to himself.
Song Cheng felt that perhaps, he was right. A God of Flowers wasn't what they needed to deal with demonic cultivators and monsters. But still, Yuan Jin was a god and if it wasn't for his good temper, Qin Su would've been in a what-not state.
Song Cheng gave Yuan Jin a sorry look.
"I'm used to that reaction, General Song." Yuan Jin said.
Suddenly, Song Cheng heard noisy chants from the end of the street. When he walked a few feet forward, what he saw was a temple. He didn't remember any temple being there a hundred years ago.
The temple was built with the finest wood and jade bells hung from the high ceiling.
When he saw the temple plaque, his brows furrowed.
"Is that a Ling Rui temple?" Song Cheng spoke to Yuan Jin, who had already caught up with him.
Yuan Jin nodded. "Yes. I wouldn't be surprised to see it here."
"But Ling Rui isn't even a goddess. She's a maiden in your-"
"My palace, yes. General Song, do you know how many temples of Lord Zhang Yue are there in the mortal world?" Yuan Jin spoke, cutting Song Cheng's words. "Just two hundred. And these Ling Rui temples- there are three thousand of them."
The two walked upto the temple pavillion. The exterior was decorated with fresh roses and lilies.
Inside, a massive statue of a women stood upon the altar. Song Cheng refused to believe it was Ling Rui at all. Unlike the plain and meek woman who worked in heavens, this Ling Rui had a somewhat fierce expression on her face and luxurious robes bound around her body. Surely, even Ling Rui wouldn't recognise herself. The temple was filled with the scent of incense that burned heavy and apples piled as offerings.
"No wonder I never knew what Lord Yuan Jin did." Song Cheng thought to himself.
It must be that most of the mortals didn't even worship the actual gods. A lot of them mistook the ministers or the errand maidens for gods, when they took off to deliver the Heaven's will to the mortals.
Song Cheng couldn't help but laugh on the inside.
It wasn't that the Eight Gods were ignored, but just that nobody knew them!
"Hasn't the Heaven looked into it?" Song Cheng asked.
"They know. But when people kowtow, they kowtow to these people and when they spit, they spit on them.
In this world, nobody wants to be tainted. When one rises, eventually they must fall." Yuan Jin spoke, looking away at the lake.
Song Cheng agreed with him. Even the gods didn't want to take the curses and hence, the best way was to put up with the act.
"Temple of Ling Rui?" Qin Su spoke as he walked to the duo, still massaging his temples.
The people in the temple were all rather strange. Not a single person seemed to healthy. Somebody had a broken leg while another was blind. Some had even lost all their four limbs.
It looked like a temple of the sick. Song Cheng wasn't horrified but his heart broke for the people.
Even in such conditions, they were so devoted, only to a goddess who did not exist.
"Let's go. I cannot stand around places with a spiritual aura much longer. The heavenly light will show itself."
Lord Yuan Jin said, with an irritated expression on his face.
Song Cheng nodded and the three walked out. It was already evening and the sun had set. The lake seemed to have lost it's golden glow and looked azure. Song Cheng could feel his empty stomach now.
Once in the heaven, he hadn't needed to eat but now he and Qin Su were just mere mortals.
"General Song, let's find a place to rest first. The night is about to fall." Yuan Jin spoke, probably sensing Song Cheng's thoughts.
After walking for a few metres downhill towards the lake, the three finally found an old inn to rest. By this time, the surroundings had already grown dark.
The inn seemed pretty established and well maintained. The housekeeper welcomed the three inside.
"Welcome Noble Masters! I'll book our finest rooms for you." The old housekeeper greeted with enthusiasm.
"No need, sir. Just ordinary rooms would be fine for us." Song Cheng said, looking back at the two.
None of them objected. Afterall, it was Song Cheng who had to pay and he only had so much on hand.
"I'll go arrange the rooms. My masters can have a meal by then." The old housekeeper smiled and left.
The three looked at the dining hall, with numerous couples and Taoist masters occupying the tables. The three chose an empty table at the front.
The two sat down, while Song Cheng's seemed to have caught something in the room.
At the end of the room sat a lone man. He wore heavenly white robes, with skin as white as jade, his long black hair were made into two loose braids and tied into a high bun, fastened by a white ribbon in a butterfly knot.
Half of his face was hidden by a silver mask, and his rosy lips were seated on a wine glass.
Looking at him, Song Cheng was almost reminded of someone.
"What is it Song Cheng? Is something troubling you?" Qin Su asked, looking around.
The white robed man's dark eyes caught Song Cheng's for a moment before he looked away again.
"It's nothing." he spoke and sat down across Yuan Jin.
After they ordered a couple of dishes, it was Yuan Jin who spoke.
"General Song doesn't speak much, it seems." Yuan Jin spoke, his lips curling in a smile.
"En."
"I once knew a person who loved to speak. Such a headache. General Song is just my kind of person."
When Qin Su, who had been drinking water heard Yuan Jin, he choked and spilled all the liquid in his mouth right at Yuan Jin's face. POOF!
"AH! THIS PERSON! YOU REALLY ARE SO AND SO! IF IT WASN'T FOR GENERAL SONG....YOU REALLY!" Yuan Jin cried.
"It was you who only said.....AGH!" Qin Su retaliated.
"Here, Lord Yuan Jin." Song Cheng offered a handkerchief from his sleeve, which the other accepted, rubbing his face with that piece of cloth as if he'd rip the whole layer of skin, leaving his face red.
Song Cheng looked back at the white clothed man, only to not find him. Slightly, a little flicker of hope died in his heart.
"Lord Yuan Jin. There are two things I've been wanting to ask you." Song Cheng spoke.
"The first, why is there a chaos in the mortal world suddenly? After so many years of peace, why suddenly defy the Heaven's will?"
"Let me tell you General Song. After that person was killed by you, nobody dared defy the Heaven's will. But recently, all of this is because of this one person," Yuan Jin pulled out a scroll from his sleeve and passed it on to Song Cheng.
Song Cheng opened it and on it were the two lines inscribed, that he was too familiar with.
"Follow The Heaven's Will. The Will Is Corrupt."
"Empty Chamber' Huang Lin." Yuan Jin continued "Word is that he had exchanged his soul to further demonic arts. Yet still, people worship him endlessly just because he's one of those; saviour of the commoners. Anyhow, there's no way the Heaven's will works around him."
"Has anyone seen him?"
"Probably, but no one would blow up his cover. Afterall, that person helped them when we did not." Yuan Jin spoke.
"Here Masters! Enjoy your meal!" A young boy brought the dishes to their table.
There were a lot of things Song Cheng didn't recognise but since Yuan Jin had ordered them, he was sure it'd be eatable.
"What was the other thing?" Yuan Jin spoke, stuffing a shred of cabbage into his mouth.
"Didn't you think that Temple of Ling Rui was rather strange?" Song Cheng questioned, helping himself with some rice.
"It was flooded with sick people. Only sick ones." Qin Su, who had been silently listening remarked.
"En," Song Cheng agreed. "Could it be that the Temple of Ling Rui has something strange in your notice?"
"Ah- General Song. You don't understand, that's how the temples work. Perhaps, mortals take her as the goddess of healing, so all the sick people pray there." Yuan Jin explained, waving his hands.
Song Cheng couldn't agree with him. Deep under, he still felt that the temple was perhaps, a very strange one. Hence, he decided that he'd pay a visit there again.
After meal, the three departed to their rooms. Song Cheng took off his outer robes and laid Lan Tian on his bedside. He then took out the white ribbon he'd bought and kept it by him. Staring at it, he fell asleep.
Soon, he had a dream.
He was sitting by the lake, like he used to after practice hours at the army grounds. He looked at the golden lake, as the wind played with his hair, cooling the sweat over his body.
"A-Cheng!" he heard Song Mi call him. But when he turned around, there was no one.
Instead in front of him, a young boy of seventeen sat. He wore white robes and with dark unblinking eyes, he kept staring at Song Cheng.
Song Cheng found him cute.
"What are you staring at?" Song Cheng asked, smiling.
"Song Cheng, will you remember me?" he asked, his face a mixture of pain and agony.
Before he could speak, Song Cheng woke up. He realised that his face was wet, as if he'd been crying.
He quickly wiped his face.
He could not sleep, so he walked up to the window.
He parted the curtains and stared into the dark when suddenly, he saw a bunch of human like sillehoutes appearing on the building in the front.
Soon, they leapt onto the roof of the inn, one by one soundlessly.
One after the other, more and more shadows appeared and landed on the roof of the inn.
Song Cheng swiftly grabbed Lan Tian and waited by the window of his room.
Seeing an open window, they'd probably want to leap in, Song Cheng thought he'd grab that chance to catch them by laying the bait.
Soon, as Song Cheng had expected, one of those shadow men leaped into the room through the window, rolling silently on the floor. Song Cheng stood behind the curtains.
He wore a black robe and a black cloth was bound on his face, revealing only his eyes.
Before he proceeded to the bedside, Song Cheng came out and swung Lan Tian in air at the person.
As if he had already sensed the move, the person was quick enough to block his move with his own sword.
Soon, swords began to clash inside the room. The shadow man aimed for Song Cheng's abdomen but Song Cheng blocked his attack. He further swung his swords and tore off the shadow man's sleeve, leaving a crimson line of blood along his forearm.
As enraged, the shadow man leapt forward towards Song Cheng's head but unexpectedly, he caught Song Cheng by the shoulders and jumped through the window.
For a moment, Song Cheng couldn't comprehend his move but he realised that the person wanted to smash him to the ground so he elbowed the man's abdomen mid air and freed himself and landed on his feet, while the shadow men fell on his back, moaning.
"Who are you?" Song Cheng asked the man, pointing Lan Tian towards him.
The man did not respond but instead laughed. Song Cheng furrowed his brows.
Suddenly, he heard rushed footsteps from the bushes around him and in a glimpse, he was surrounded by the group of those shadow men.
A few of them had sacks loaded over their backs, they were probably robbers. But to commit a crime in JinHu, they were so lawless!
Song Cheng held onto Lan Tian firmly.
"Little gege- we'll let you be if you just shut your mouth and go back to sleep." One of the men in the group spoke.
"Or we'll have to kick your poor ass. I say do leave us a choice Little gege." A stout man spoke.
"Little gege, why are your shoulders like a lady's? Are you sure about what's beneath your pants?" A tall man spoke and the group began to laugh.
Song Cheng didn't care about such nonsense but he knew they were only trying to lay him off so, he swung Lan Tian in his hand but before he could attack, the tall man who had just spoken, fell on his face.
He moaned with endless pain, rubbing his hand over his back.
The group of men turned around to see who it was.
"WHO IS IT? COME OUT YOU COWARD!"
"LET ME SEE YOUR UGLY FACE. WHO IS IT TO KICK AT OUR MAN? "
A sound of elegant footsteps ushered from the shrubs.
Jade white robes flew in the light wind in Song Cheng's vision.
Walking forward, the man tucked a strand of untamed hair behind his ears in a gracious gesture.
In another hand, he held a beautiful white sword, probably one of the finest.
Under the moonlight, the white skin seemed to shine.
Stepping forward, he stomped his foot on the fallen man's back, making him cry in pain.
"Didn't your mother teach you to watch your mouth?" he spoke in a cold voice.
Song Cheng looked at the man he'd seen before at the inn.
Soon, his eyes fell upon Song Cheng and his lips curled up in a smile.
***